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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. HENRY. AUTOMATIC GRAIN WEIGHER.

N0. 403,189. Patented May 14, 1889.

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J. HENRY. AUTOMATIC GRAIN WEIGHER. No. 403,189. Patented May 14, 1889.,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY, OF ARDOOH, DAKOTA TERRITORY.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN-WEIGHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,189, dated May 14, 1889,

Application filed May 28, 1888. Serial No. 275,296. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN HENRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ardoch, in the county of \Valsh and Territory of Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Grain-Veighers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for weighing grain in the course of its discharge from the spout of an elevator or other receptacle; and it consists in general of a hoppershaped receiver pivotally suspended between the two arms of a bifurcated scale-beam, the receiver having a discharge-aperture in the bottom thereof normally closed by a hinged valve forming one section of the angular bottom of the receiver, the valve being released by the downward movement of the end of the scale-beam when the contents of the receiver overbalance the scale-weight, and opened by the weight of the grain, the valve being also connected by bell-cranlelever connection with a cut-off on the supply-spout, the opening of the valve allowing the cut-off to close, and a counterweighted arm attached to the bellcrank. lever, by means of which the valve is closed and the cut-01f opened when the downward pressure upon the inside of the valve from the contents of the receiver is removed.

It further consists in the swinging shelf or lip attached to the sides of the receiver and extending along the lower edge of the discharge-aperture in such a position as to embrace the outer edge of the valve when closed, in order to make a tight joint between the edge of the valve and the receiver to prevent any waste of grain or any hinderance to the proper working of the several parts; and in the flanged sides of the valve for the same purpose.

The invention will be more particularly described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side view of my invention, showing the parts in the position they occupy when the valve is closed ready for receiving; Fig. 2, a similar view, showing the parts in position for discharging, the valve being open. Figs. 3 and a are similar views, showing a modified form of connection between the valve and cut-off; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the receiver, showing the form and position of the swinging lip or guard.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

The receiver A is made substantially hopper-shaped, having two of its opposite sides vertical and the other two vertical for about half their height, and from that point sloped downwardly and inwardly, meeting each other at an angle, forming the bottom of the receiver V-shaped in cross-section. One of the sloping sides is hinged at its upper edge to the adjacent part-s of the receiver, so as to swing outwardly upon pressure from within, thus forming a dischargeaperture for the re cciver and a valve for closing the same. To the receiver is pivotally suspended the two arms of a forked scale-beam, B, and balanced thereon by means of gudgeons Z) I), secured to the sides of the receiver. It maybe still fur ther supported from lateral displacement and thus retained always in a vertical position by means of two supplementary arms, 0 0, parallel to the scale-beam, and connected with the receiver and the frame-work of the apparatus by means of pivots or gudgeons (Z 8, located vertically underneath the supportinggudgeons I) Z) and the fulcrum of the scale beam, respectively. The scale-beam is pro vided with the usual graduated scale and sliding weight, and is so arranged with reference to its fulcrum that when the receiver is empty its weight shall be exactly balanced by the weight at the zero-point of the scale. v

A fulcrum of the scale-beam forms the vertical support of the entire apparatus, and is so located that the receiver is just underneath the supply-spout.

The construction and arrangement as thus far described are the same as detailed in Let ters Patent No. 3c3,l26, granted to me May 22, 1888, for improvements in automatic grainweighers.

Upon the side of the receiver A is journaled a bell-crank lever, D, one arm, g, of which is connected with the valve 0 by a rod or arm, h, and the other arm, 1', is connected with the cut-off E upon the supply-spout by another rod or arm, 70. The rod 70 is not fastened to the arm g, but moves ina slot therein and is supported by a stop or collar, 1, secured to the rod above the arm g, the rod extending some distance through the slot in order to allow the lever D to turn as far as necessary to permit the valve to open freely.

The operation of these connections is such that when the valve is released and opened by the pressure of the grain within the receiver the arm 1' is depressed and the cut-off thus allowedto fall by its own weight, closing the mouth of the supply-spout. hen the valve 0 closes, the arm t'js raised, and when partially raised engages the stop on the rod 76, thus raising the cut-off and allowing the grain to fiow into the receiver.

Attached to the bell-crank lever at or near its pivotal point, and extending in the direction of the valve 0, is a weighted arm m, by means of which the lever is operated when the pressure upon the valve is removed by the discharge of the grain, thus closing the valve and opening the cut-off.

A modified construction of this part of the apparatus is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in which one end of the weighted arm is hinged to the end of the arm g of the bell-crank lever at the point of its connection with the valve by the rod h, and which turns and slides upon a pivot or pinm, mounted in the side of the receiver, vertically underneath the hinge-joint. The lower end of the arm is suitably weighted, and the principle of itsoperation is the same as in the construction heretofore described, and as clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The pivot 41 allows of a turning and sliding movement of the arm upon it, the arm having an elongated slot, 0, for its reception, to allow for the endwise movement of the arm occasioned by its connection with the valve 0 when the latter opens.

A suitable catch-lever or latch, F, pivoted to the fixed part of the bottom of the receiver, holds the valve in place when closed, the latch being bent in elbow shape at its pivotal point, and is operated by means of its horizontallyextending arm 19, being engaged by a stop, q, upon the supporting-frame when the receiver descends. The arm 19 is made of sufficient weight to bring the latch into position to engage the edge of the valve and retain it when closed.

Upon the edge of the discharge-aperture, at the opposite side thereof from where the valve t O is hinged, is mounted the swinging lip or 'guard G. This consists of a narrow lip or shelf extending across the edge of the fixed bottom of the receiver and projecting a short distance beyond the edge of the same, as shown in Fig. 5. This guard is held by its own weight in position by means of arms extending part-way up the sides of the receiver, where they are hung upon pins or pivots, so as to turn freely. The object of this lip or shelf is to close any space between the valve 0 and the other section of the bottom of the receiver that may be left by the imperfect closing of the valve by reason of straw, weeds, or other obstruction, and thus prevent the escape of the grain. To still further assist in making a close joint between the valve and the edges of the receiver, the valve 0 is constructed with turned-up edges or flanges 1' r on its sides, which embrace the opposite sides of the receiver when the valve is closed, and which thus close any space that might be left by its imperfect closing. By means of the swinging guard-lip G and the flanges r r on the valve; the discharge-aperture is efiectually closed, even though the valve itself may not be brought closely against the edges of the receiver,

Suitable registering apparatus may be connected with the weigher in any convenient position.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a grain-weigher, with a hopper-shaped receiver mounted between the arms of a bifurcated scale-beam and having one section of its angular bottom hinged at its upper edge, so as to swing outwardly upon pre ssu re from within the receiver, and a self-closing cut-off on the supply-spout, of a bell-crank lever j ournaled upon the side of the receiver, a rod connecting one arm of the said lever with the valve, the other arm of the lever having a slot near its extremity, a rod connected with the cutofi and passing through the said slot, a stop or collar upon said rod above the said slotted arm to limit the movement of the arm upon the rod, and a weighted arm attached to the bell-crank lever to operate the same, substantially as described, whereby the closing of the valve raises and opens the cut-off, and the opening of the valve allows the cut-ofi to close.

2. The combination of the forked scalebeam, hopper-shaped receiver suspended between the arms thereof and having one section of its angular bottom hinged at its upper edge so as to swing outwardly, a lip or shelf, G, having arms extending upwardly on the sides of the receiver and pivoted thereto, the edge of the lip or shelf projecting outwardly beyond the sloping fixed bottom of the receiver opposite the valve, and means for automatically closing and retaining the valve after each discharge, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

The combination of the forked scale beam, hopper shaped receiver pivotally mounted between its arms and having one,

slide, a stop on the said rod above the slot IIO to limit 'the upward movement of the slotted arm thereon, a Weighted arm attached to the other arm of the bell-crank lever at the point of its connection with the valve-rod, the said weighted arm having a longitudinal slot therein engaging With a pin upon the side of the receiver, whereby the arm may have both a turning and a sliding movement upon the said pin, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified. 10

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

- JOHN HENRY.

WVitnesses:

W. T. SHEPPARD,

WILLIE GILBREATH. 

